what

The menstrual cycle is one of the most powerful and unique parts of being a woman. The cycle includes not only your period, but the entire ebb and flow of hormonal changes that take place in a female body over the course of (approximately) a month. The bleeding phase may be the most visible, but it is only one part of a much larger whole.

Your cycle is something utterly intimate to you, that at the same time binds you to the community of women all around you. It is also a uniquely feminine source of strength and self-awareness. By learning to harmonise with your own cycle, you gain understanding and power over diverse areas of your life, such as:

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why

Despite the enormous potential of the menstrual cycle, most women remain at best unaware or at worst, at war with their own bodies when it comes to their cycle. The cycle is regarded as one of the essential markers of female health in medical traditions from around the world; and yet many women continue to suffer from cycle-related discomfort, pain or dis-ease that they accept as their ‘normal’ or simply have no solution for. There is an enormous cost to this, for all of us. The sad truth is that world we live in does not always accomodate or provide what we need to be healthy and flourish—so it is our job to educate ourselves, become aware, and claim it for ourselves.

Getting to know your own cycle is a personal journey that brings you maturity and self-compassion. The information and awareness you gain is absolutely invaluable. When I talk to friends about cycle awareness, the #1 most common response I hear is: why didn’t I know this already? why didn’t anyone tell me this earlier in life? There is sometimes a palpable sense of grief that arises, along with a series of ‘lightbulb’ moments as you put the pieces together and begin to understand yourself in a new way, and then make choices that are actually aligned with reality.

Some of us (like myself) were lucky enough to receive education and guidance on the menstrual cycle from school or other women. Yet most of the time this knowledge was limited to how to manage bleeding, conception and contraception. What I’m sharing with you goes far beyond that. It’s the kind of things you wish you had learned growing up—how to be comfortable and at ease in your body, how to access your creativity and inner vision, how to deal with negativity and (inner) criticism, how to take care of yourself when you’re vulnerable, how to navigate changes without losing yourself, how to find support in something larger than you. All of these microskills come through in the menstrual cycle, provided we have the right models and strategies to work with it.

Cycle coaching and awareness are a beautiful gift of embodied knowledge that comes from real life. It goes beyond what you read in books, right to the heart of your own experience and the experience of all women. Each woman relates to her cycle differently, at different phases of life. Your cycle is something that is with you for the majority of your life (whether you like it or not). So why not take the time to befriend it and receive its gifts more fully? Whether you’re seeking more balance, connection, power, freedom, ease, peace—and even if you don’t know what you’re seeking—there is an answer waiting for you inside your own body, in your cycle.

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who this work is for

Anyone can benefit from a fuller understanding of the menstrual cycle, though of course it’s more important if you’re a woman. Personally, I believe that every woman should have access to this knowledge about her own body. It doesn’t matter if you currently have a menstrual cycle—you could be pregnant, on hormonal contraception, going through menopause etc.—you will still benefit from this work.

how it works

Broadly speaking, I see four progressive ‘levels’ of engagement with the menstrual cycle. They are:

1: cycle awareness

• learning about and understanding the different phases of the menstrual cycle, from the perspective of
  • your physiology (hormones and biochemistry)
  • and personal experience (your inner day and night, your inner seasons, the elemental matrix etc.)
• the #1 most important thing you can do when it comes to your cycle

2: cycle strategy

• discover and create practical tips and tools to accommodate your changing experience, including lifestyle shifts and self-care protocols
• customise any area of your life (like diet, social life, or exercise) to harness the natural powers of each phase of your cycle

3: cycle apprenticeship

• learning about yourself and life through the lens of your cycle
• using your cycle as a guide to your desires, goals, deeper visions of whatever you want to create or birth in the world
• using your cycle to process, review and discern where you need to make changes in your life
• finding support in your cycle when you’re going through life challenges like bereavement, heartbreak, loss, illness and uncertainty

4: cyclical living

• living your life with your cycle as an ally, or an ever-present and helpful background soundtrack
• learning to embody each phase of your cycle spontaneously as it unfolds in any area of your life
• being effortlessly in tune with your body and yourself through the ebb and flow of the month

You can choose to work with your cycle on any of these levels (but each layer is dependent on the previous ones, so you can’t skip ahead).

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details

I offer cycle coaching through 1-1 sessions, workshops and public classes.

group classes + workshops: cycle circles

In these sessions I offer tools and tips for becoming more aware of your cycle, harnessing the power of each phase, and supporting yourself with care during vulnerable periods. These sessions are often beautiful communal spaces where women talk about their own cycles and learn from each other’s wisdom as much as what I share. You never know what’s going to come up, or what novel ideas others have about how to manage their own cycles! I usually include a practice portion in each class too: a meditation, breathwork, or yoga nidra experience tailored to bring out the themes of the session.

1-1 sessions

In 1-1 sessions, we begin with an overview of the whole cycle, and then dive into the phase you’re in during each session. The task is as follows:

1. understand the nature of the phase of the cycle that you’re currently in
2. become aware of your own experience of that phase
3. learn to harmonise with that phase
   • harnessings its peaks and your strengths within it
   • accommodating and navigating its troughs and your vulnerabilities within it
4. move into the next phase and repeat

Over the course of multiple cycles, you will naturally deepen your awareness of the phases and how you respond to them. In this way, the coaching always follows your body, and progresses cyclically (rather than linearly), so that you embody your understanding in ever-deepening layers. I usually suggest that we work together over at least 2-3 cycles, and then taper off to top-up sessions as and when you need them.

Sessions can be done in-person or virtually.

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learn more

Here’s a quick preview of some of the material I cover in group and 1-1 sessions:

And here are some resources I would recommend to anyone starting out on their cycle awareness journey: